Wannabe
by kurgaya
Summary: IchiHitsu - pure fluff - oneshot - In which Ichigo realizes he's missing something and learns something new while trying to find it.


**Notes:** There are_ two major OCs_ in this story, but they're important and the story still focuses on Ichigo so I hope you don't mind. (And it's a mini oneshot, so surely you can put up with them for almost 4000 words?)

Thanks to Eli-Ri on dA for this idea - I hope it's turned out well :) **This is unbeta'd by the way.**

Oh, also, Happy Birthday Ichigo!

(If you'd like, you can play 'Wannabe' by the Spice Girls)

* * *

**Wannabe**

* * *

Ichigo woke up that morning feeling like something was missing. He rolled over and checked his alarm clock - seven AM and he groaned - before shuffling himself further under the duvet and resolving to go back to sleep. His boyfriend (not that he ever really used that word, but 'lover' wasn't quite right since the topic of sex had not yet been discussed, and 'husband' hadn't been proposed, so it was the best he could come up with) was sleeping soundly beside him, curled up in his usual fetal position with his limp hair tickling his cheek, and Ichigo smiled, cuddling close.

If Tōshirō was still beside him, then whatever was missing obviously wasn't that important.

When his alarm eventually sounded just under an hour later, vibrating wickedly against the wooden bedside table, Ichigo yawned himself awake and cursed his job. The absence of the warm body in Tōshirō's spot told him that the young shinigami was already up and about, but Ichigo felt no need to rush about after him. Before they had gotten together Tōshirō used to wake at the crack of dawn every morning (if he went to sleep that night, that is) and be in his office by six. Now though he had a reason to stay around in bed for a little longer, which Ichigo was very thankful for. If Tōshirō had kept his old sleeping habits then they'd never see anything of each other.

He kicked off the covers and clambered over to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Nina Yoshikazu, his fukutaicho, was due to introduce the new recruits to the division after breakfast and Ichigo knew that he had to be there. Not only to make a good first impression of himself, but because the newbies would be assigned to groups under some of the seated officers so they could learn the workings of the division inside and out. And, of course, as Ichigo was the least judgmental person in the fifth division, that part was his job.

"Good morning," greeted Tōshirō, glancing over quickly at his sleepy partner before returning his attention to the spitting eggs in the frying pan. It had taken quite a few months but Yuzu had finally managed to bring his cooking skills up to scratch. Beforehand, he had never needed to cook anything himself; Granny had always prepared the meals when he lived in Rukongai, and as a member of the Gotei Thirteen there was a canteen available for all of the officers. As a taicho, however, he could call the cooks in the tenth division kitchen whenever he liked so that he could avoid straying from his work (or venturing into the ruckus of the canteen).

"Mornin'" Ichigo replied, wandering over and switched the kettle on. "You want tea?" he asked, fetching a mug and then waving another in Tōshirō's face.

"Please."

Ichigo set about finding the tea bags and spoons, and as he retrieved the milk from the fridge Tōshirō dished up their breakfast. "What time you gonna be back from the office today?" the ginger said, pecking the other on the forehead as he carried the two plates over to the table. "Not late again I hope?"

"Shouldn't be," Tōshirō promised, gratefully taking his mug from Ichigo as they both settled down to eat. "Do you have something planned?"

"Huh? No," came the confused reply, mumbled through a piece of sausage. "Am I forgetting an occasion or something?"

That would explain the nagging feeling that he was missing something.

"No," explained Tōshirō, sipping his tea. "I don't think there's anything on the calender, at least."

Damn, Ichigo thought, feeling disappointed. Mysterious feeling will remain mysterious.

"Are you okay?" Something must have shown on his face (he did tend to wear his heart on his sleeve around Tōshirō) for the concerned question came just a few seconds later. Tōshirō was finished eating and he now gazed at his other half expectantly, while frowning in a way that suggested he was looking for the source of Ichigo's frustration.

"Yeah," Ichigo said, shrugging, and smiling to reassure the little taicho. "I just got a weird feeling."

As he didn't sound very worried himself about this feeling, Tōshirō decided not to worry about it. So, happy with that answer, the short taicho began clearing up their plates. Ichigo stood to help him, washing up his mug and dumping the cutlery in the sink to be cleaned later, and it was a couple of moments later that the comfortable silence was broken;

"Your fukutaicho will be expecting you soon," said Tōshirō. "And if the feeling doesn't go away by tonight, talk to Zangetsu, he might be able to help."

* * *

The morning with the new recruits went smoothly. Well, as smoothly as it could with a (strangely, worryingly) hyperactive fukutaicho squealing in delight every minute with a huge smile plastered on her freckled face, and a quick-tempered taicho whose hair drew as much attention as his barking orders. Then add twenty two disasters in waiting, all eager to prove their worth, and things suddenly weren't running that smoothly at all.

Despite that, the introduction and the group assignment passed without too many hitches, and at eleven forty-four AM Ichigo could finally escape from the training grounds, leaving his (unlucky) seated officers with the task of showing the newbies the ropes.

He had just reached the sanctuary of his office when his fukutaicho crashed into him from behind.

"Taicho, taicho, taicho!" the girl cried, spinning him around so that he could see the excitement on her face. Ichigo stared at her blankly, his arms raised awkwardly up in the air, and muttered a hesitant, "What?" that had her grinning like a lunatic.

His relationship with Nina Yoshikazu was more of friends than fellow officers, and all of the people that had told him he had to be 'professional' and to 'keep his distance' could just rot in Hell for all he cared. He trusted his fukutaicho with more than just his back in battle, and it wasn't like he was doing anything inappropriate. Not only did she have a boyfriend (Zack Sakamoto, a member of the first division), he did too, and Tōshirō was rather possessive when he needed to be.

"Look!_ Look_!"

She thrust one of her hands into his face, and he caught a flash of metal before, he too, was grinning like an idiot.

"He proposed?" he asked, stupidly, and Nina rolled her eyes, letting him examine the small ring on her finger. "No you dummy, I thought I'd just wear an engagement ring for the fun of it."

She sounded so serious for a second that Ichigo almost believed her.

Luckily she didn't seem to notice his falter, instead blabbering on about the proposal and her boyfriend - fiancé. "He was so nervous, taicho, I couldn't believe it. At first I thought he was breaking up with me; he hardly looked at me yesterday, but then, over dinner, when he got down on one knee - ohmygod I honestly almost started crying. I was so happy. I didn't even let him say anything, other than my name, which I suppose is going to change now - _ohmygod_!"

She squealed loudly, hugging Ichigo around the waist and jumping up and down in ecstasy. _"I'm getting married!"_

Ichigo couldn't help but laugh along with her. He couldn't believe how happy she was - are all girls like this when they're proposed to, he wondered? Nina looked honestly over the moon; if she got any more hyper Ichigo worried that she would forget to breathe or something; she wouldn't stop laughing and smiling -

Would Tōshirō be like this if he...?

If they...?

Marriage was not something he had really thought about before. Sure, Renji and Rukia had been married for some years now, but even that had not spurred any thoughts of getting married himself. He assumed it was possible, of course, gay marriage here in Soul Society, and even if it wasn't something like that wasn't really going to stop him. But did being married really make anything different? Renji and Rukia both lived in the Kuchiki Manor now, and Nina would surely move in with Zack, but he and Tōshirō already lived together, shared a bed (though not sexually), and ate at the same table every day, so would tying the knot really make a difference?

"_Taicho_," Nina whined, and it took Ichigo a moment to realize she had let him go and was now standing a few feet away from him, her arms crossed stubbornly over her chest. "You're too easy to read, you know."

He blinked, not really understand what she was getting at.

She sent him a knowing look, one that reminded him far too much of Karin for him to feel comfortable. "Go and talk to Zack," she suggested, wiggling a finger at him. "You and Hitsugaya-taicho are invited to my wedding, so if you don't invite me to yours God help you."

With that, she shoved him out into the hallway.

* * *

Zack Sakamoto was the first division's third seat, but he had been silently begging for the empty fukutaicho position for years. He was more than capable enough (to his belief anyway) but he had never mentioned his desire to his taicho, Byakuya Kuchiki, for fear of sounding arrogant and needy. He was a patient and humble man around most people, but to his friends he was understanding, trustworthy, and had the strength of a bear if the situation ever called for it.

Ichigo found him drinking tea with Byakuya in their office, and he smiled carefully once the Captain-Commander bade him entrance. "Er, hi."

Zack's back was to him, so Ichigo could only see the way Byakuya's eyebrows rose with his sigh. "How can we help you, Ichigo?" the eldest asked, placing his cup down on the round table he was kneeling behind.

"Sorry Byakuya," Ichigo said, grinning cheekily at the man he now considered his brother. "Can I borrow Zack?"

Zack straightened to attention at this, but Byakuya merely continued as calm as ever, "If that is what Sakamoto wishes, then you may."

"Awesome," said Ichigo thankfully, watching as Zack stood and bowed to his taicho, thanking him for the tea and apologizing for having to leave part-way through their conversation. "Come on then." He indicated for the dark haired man to follow him out of the room. "Nina wants me to talk to you for some reason."

Zack, after shutting the office door behind him, stared at Ichigo in surprise. "Nina sir? Is she okay?"

"Sure," Ichigo assured, leading them out of the building and into one of the division's open gardens for more privacy. "If you count acting like a hyper five year old as 'okay', then she's great."

These words eased the tension in the third seat's broad shoulders, and the man became more confident with his questions. "So you needed to speak with me, Kurosaki-taicho?"

Ichigo laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. One of the koi fish in the pond swam closer as they approached, while the others all turned around and fled as the pair stopped by the water's edge. "Yeah, well, she told me I was an open book, and then shoved me out of the office. I'm not really sure what's gotta into her but... She wanted me to talk to you."

He felt kind of stupid for not having a real topic for the conversation. Zack seemed to think this too, if the disbelieving expression that fell onto his face was anything to go by. "What... were you talking about before?" he asked, trying to find some clue as to what his fiancée was thinking.

Ichigo tried to think back to the conversation in his office. "Um, you two getting married, actually. She was squealing and giggling one minute, and the next she was all serious and demanding that I go talk to - oh."

He had been thinking about marrying Tōshirō when she told him that he was easy to read. _She knew what he had been thinking_ - and that explained the comment about inviting her to their wedding! _And_ why he had to go and talk to Zack! _He_ was the one who had just asked her to marry him!

"Sir?"

_Ohmygod she thinks I'm going to propose to Tōshirō!_

"Kurosa - ?"

Ichigo grabbed the man by the shoulders. "**Zack**."

An unsure, "Yes...?" was what he got in reply. But Ichigo wasn't thinking of that. He wasn't thinking of how he was creeping the third seat out, or how his grip on the man's shoulders was probably close to hurting. 'Proposing' and 'Tōshirō' was all that was swimming in his mind, casting a helpless expression on his face and gripping at his heart.

He knew what he was_ missing_.

"I need your help."

* * *

He returned Zack to Byakuya some hours later with an apology for keeping him so long. Byakuya didn't seem to mind, asking politely for the third seat to return to his duties and bidding the fifth division taicho 'good day'. Ichigo gladly went back to his division, to where Nina was probably anxiously awaiting his arrival, his thoughts locked firmly on the conversation he had just had out in the first division garden.

Zack had been very understanding once he realized what was bugging the taicho and had offered his support in any way that he could. Ichigo had been hoping for a 'how-to' guide when it came to proposing, because suddenly, now that it had been spelt out to him, _it made sense_. Okay, so he and Tōshirō didn't need public vows to let each other know how much they cared, and other than Tōshirō becoming a Kurosaki in name (which made Ichigo giddy just thinking about it) nothing between them would really change.

But they would have rings. For everyone to see. A _constant reminder_ of their bond. A message; 'he's mine!' And _that_ was what Ichigo wanted out of marriage.

Unfortunately, Zack had just basically told him to 'go with it' and that there wasn't really much he could do. Ichigo understood, really, for nobody knew Tōshirō better than himself and so he knew the best way of approaching this... subject... with the man. A big fancy proposal was out of the question - actually, any sort of public proposal was a no-go. So at home then. Or maybe outside?

Argh, he didn't know.

First he needed a ring. And he should probably tell (ask?) Tōshirō's grandmother first, though part of him wanted to leave that surprise to his other half.

Second, he needed to really think about this. So far he had been acting on impulse, and yeah, he really wanted to marry Tōshirō - like, _really_ wanted to - but was he ready? Was Tōshirō ready?

And then they'd have to sort out the wedding itself, and the chaos that would come with it. (Namely a certain strawberry-blonde fukutaicho).

Ichigo decided to inform Nina of his talk with Zack, and then go and find Tōshirō.

"God help me," he mumbled, running a hand through his hair. What was he getting himself into?

* * *

He heard the music before he entered the room, and his eyebrows rose so far into his hairline that he was sure he might have lost them. Stumbling to a halt outside of Tōshirō's office, Ichigo pressed his ear up against the door to make sure that what he was hearing _was actually_ coming from where it sounded like it was coming from.

He was proven correct when the upbeat tune of a song that sparked something within his memories continued to play, a lopsided grin splitting open on his features. The icy touch of Tōshirō's spiritual energy was the only one buzzing around in the room, and Ichigo shook his head in disbelief as he slid open the door.

The song ended just as he stepped inside, unnoticed by the occupant of the room, but the iPod dock started blasting it out again when it registered the 'repeat' command.

_Yo I'll tell you what I want_  
_What I really really want_  
_So tell me what you want_  
_What you really really want_

And there was his boyfriend, haori discarded and paperwork abandoned, dancing around the room to _The Spice Girls_ of all things.

This. was. **unreal**.

_I'll tell you what I want_  
_What I really really want_  
_So tell me what you want_  
_What you really really want_

Ichigo, of course, knew all of the lyrics. Having been a 90's kid himself the song was literally a blast from the past. He had absolutely _no idea_ how Tōshirō had come across it, for he tended to listen to songs from the 80's or Evanescence, and the stunned taicho briefly wondered if he was dreaming.

_I wanna (ha) I wanna (ha) I wanna (ha) I wanna (ha)  
I wanna really really really wanna zigazig ah_

The little jig that Tōshirō did with his butt at the last line made Ichigo explode with laughter. A shame, he would later think, for the white haired man spun around and stared at him, his face a deep crimson and his eyes wide with horror.

Oh he was _so_ marrying this man.

"You didn't see anything!" Tōshirō cried, scrambling for the iPod. Ichigo couldn't say anything in reply, holding onto the door frame for support as he laughed until tears came to his eyes. The pause in the song was abrupt, and it left Tōshirō standing in the middle of the room looking mortified, his face almost radiating enough heat for Ichigo to feel it from the other side of the room.

"Oh - oh god - oh my god Tōshirō," Ichigo eventually managed, collecting himself. "_The Spice Girls_? Tōshirō, are you _feeling_ okay?"

Tōshirō refused to look at him. "Shut up," he hissed, though there wasn't any real anger behind his words.

(Just embarrassment. And lots of it).

"How long have you been hiding this little guilty pleasure from me then, hm?" Ichigo teased, striding across the room to ruffle his partner's hair. "What else have you got? Britney? S Club 7? Oh my god, have you got 'Don't Stop Movin' on that iPod? I loved that song as a child."

Tōshirō mumbled something under his breath, which Ichigo gladly took as a 'yes'. He swiveled around his dumb-stuck boyfriend and started clicking through the iPod to search for any other 90's pop songs that Tōshirō was keeping from him. He found 'Don't Stop Movin' eventually, but deciding not to play it just yet (for that would be incredibly cruel of him) he turned back around to see Tōshirō slipping back into his haori as quiet as ever.

The older taicho shuffled around the room dejectedly, and Ichigo felt a stab of guilt at embarrassing Tōshirō like this. "Hey," he said gently, walking back over. He hooked his hand under Tōshirō's chin and raised the wide teal eyes to meet his own. "I'm guessing this has something to do with Rangiku-san?"

The blush deepened a shade, but still nothing was said.

Ichigo just continued smiling softly, trying to reassure the other. "Nothing to be ashamed of, ya know. I have a thing for Disney movies and I sobbed my eyes out at Marley and Me, but you still love me don't you?"

"...Yes."

Ichigo kissed him on the nose, something he knew both irritated and delighted him. "And I still love you, despite your obsession with cheesy songs and terribly dancing skills."

At this, Tōshirō finally did something normal and swatted him away. "My dancing skills aren't terrible."

"I know," Ichigo grinned, turning around to play S Club 7. "You wanna dance with me?"

_Don't stop moving to the funky funky beat_  
_Don't stop moving to the funky funky beat_

"Do I have a choice?"

They met in the middle of the room, and Ichigo pushed Tōshirō's haori back off of his shoulders after discarding his own, throwing them both over onto the sofa. Clasping their hands together Ichigo was suddenly reminded of the lack of a ring on his partner's bony finger, and, inwardly squealing like his fukutaicho, he vowed to do something about that soon. Now though, he kissed the other on the forehead this time, and then indicated his head over to the office entrance.

"Course you do: are you gonna shut the door, or am I?"

* * *

**End notes: **Thanks for reading! I hope you guys don't mind all the fluff I've been dishing out recently :P


End file.
